The present invention relates to improvements in trailer alignment devices.
The task of backing a vehicle with a ball hitch into alignment with a trailer or other vehicle to be towed can be, and frequently is, a frustrating experience for the driver. Typically, the hitch either is not positioned in side-to-side alignment with the trailer or the vehicle is too close or too far away from the trailer when the driver goes back to hitch the vehicles together.
In order to facilitate alignment of a pair of vehicles for hitching together, several devices have been proposed by which vertically extending rods are provided with one rod positioned on the ball of the towing vehicle and the other rod on the hitch of the towed vehicle. The vehicle operator can then, by looking through the rearview mirror, ascertain when the respective hitch portions are in alignment by the alignment of the rods. Representative of such prior art is U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,815,732 issued Dec. 10, 1957 to J. C. Majors; 3,015,162 issued Jan. 2, 1962 to H. C. Bohnet; 3,702,029 issued Nov. 7, 1972 to H. Anderson, Jr.; and 3,818,599 issued June 25, 1974 to R. J. Tague.
Although the prior art recognizes to some extent the desirability of providing a collapsible vertical rod which permits greater portability of such alignment devices, as well as recognizing the desirability of providing vertical alignment of the ball and hitch by having rods come into contact when such alignment is achieved, the apparatus of the prior art does not assure that these desirable end results can be readily accomplished. Accordingly, there remains a need for a trailer alignment device which can be easily attached to insure the desired alignment in a fail safe manner and yet be collapsible to form a relatively small portable package since during use frequently a trailer will be hitched and unhitched many times and it is desired to carry the alignment devices in the vehicles without using excessive space.